Doctors call for 'Quit Smoking-style' ads to tackle obesity rates

Australia’s peak medical body is calling for shock advertising, similar to ‘Quit Smoking’ ads, to be used to curb climbing obesity rates.

With the country facing an obesity crisis, confronting images like those used in the successful national anti-smoking campaign are among the novel tactics the Australian Medical Association (AMA) believes could spark radical action, The Courier Mail reports.

AMA President Michael Gannon told the newspaper people do not understand the long-term effects of obesity-related conditions including Type 2 diabetes.

The successful national anti-smoking campaign showed the long term effects of lung disease. (Cancer Institute NSW) (Cancer Institute NSW)

“Obesity is a public health crisis,” Dr Gannon said.

“We need to try all different kinds of strategies to get the message through.”

Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition in which the body becomes resistant to the normal effects of insulin.

The risk is greatly increased if people show a number of modifiable lifestyle factors including being overweight or obese.